Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service has launched its newest station hub especially to fight wildfires in Haltwhistle.
So far, Northumberland has seen five wildfires this year alone, some of which have burned for several days. With warm and dry weather not too far away, more of these devastating fires are expected.
The hub is based at Haltwhistle fire station and gives crews better equipment and more specialist training to respond to wildfires. It is one of four that covers the county - the others are in Bellingham, Wooler and Rothbury and all are kitted out with specialist firefighting equipment.
Read more: Plea to protect Northumberland's countryside following significant wildfire near Morpeth
Rob Stacey, wildfire lead for Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We have several hubs around the county based close to sensitive landscapes that are classed as high risk. These areas require enhanced protection from wildfires and are valuable for a number of reasons.
"For example, the Northumberland countryside is full of important heritage sites, rare natural habitats, plants and species, and key infrastructure. These hubs are especially important considering that climate change predictions indicate we will experience more frequent and larger wildfires in the future.
"Although we train all our operational staff on how to deal with these fires, our crews working out of the wildfire hubs receive more specialist training which enhances our response capability."
Robert Mayhew, head of Conservation and Environment at Northumberland National Park Authority, said: "The authority welcomes Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service’s investment in the wildfire hub at Haltwhistle fire station, as it is hoped that firefighting resources can be deployed more swiftly to incidents in the National Park and thus hopefully reduce the damage caused by wildfires. As the risk of wildfires increases year on year on the back of the effects of climate change, the knowledge that firefighting staff will gain can also be shared with others to help reduce the risk of fires starting in the first place."
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